Archive for July, 2009

It seems that politicians fear the wrath of those that they serve. They deserve that wrath when they act from political correctness rather than what they were elected to do. Tar and feathers anyone?

Screaming constituents, protesters dragged out by the cops, congressmen fearful for their safety — welcome to the new town-hall-style meeting, the once-staid forum that is rapidly turning into a house of horrors for members of Congress.

On the eve of the August recess, members are reporting meetings that have gone terribly awry, marked by angry, sign-carrying mobs and disruptive behavior. In at least one case, a congressman has stopped holding town hall events because the situation has spiraled so far out of control.

“I had felt they would be pointless,” Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) told POLITICO, referring to his recent decision to suspend the events in his Long Island district. “There is no point in meeting with my constituents and [to] listen to them and have them listen to you if what is basically an unruly mob prevents you from having an intelligent conversation.”

In Bishop’s case, his decision came on the heels of a June 22 event he held in Setauket, N.Y., in which protesters dominated the meeting by shouting criticisms at the congressman for his positions on energy policy, health care and the bailout of the auto industry.

Within an hour of the disruption, police were called in to escort the 59-year-old Democrat — who has held more than 100 town hall meetings since he was elected in 2002 — to his car safely.

“I have no problem with someone disagreeing with positions I hold,” Bishop said, noting that, for the time being, he was using other platforms to communicate with his constituents. “But I also believe no one is served if you can’t talk through differences.”

Bishop isn’t the only one confronted by boiling anger and rising incivility. At a health care town hall event in Syracuse, N.Y., earlier this month, police were called in to restore order, and at least one heckler was taken away by local police. Close to 100 sign-carrying protesters greeted Rep. Allen Boyd (D-Fla.) at a late June community college small-business development forum in Panama City, Fla. Last week, Danville, Va., anti-tax tea party activists claimed they were “refused an opportunity” to ask Rep. Thomas Perriello (D-Va.) a question at a town hall event and instructed by a plainclothes police officer to leave the property after they attempted to hold up protest signs.

The targets in most cases are House Democrats, who over the past few months have tackled controversial legislation including a $787 billion economic stimuluspackage, a landmark energy proposal and an overhaul of the nation’s health care system.

Democrats, acknowledging the increasing unruliness of the town-hall-style events, say the hot-button issues they are taking on have a lot to do with it.

“I think it’s just the fact that we are dealing with some of the most important public policy issues in a generation,” said Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), who was confronted by a protester angry about his position on health care reform at a town hall event several weeks ago.

“I think in general what is going on is we are tackling issues that have been ignored for a long time, and I think that is disruptive to a lot of people,” said Bishop, a four-term congressman. “We are trying, one by one, to deal with a set of issues that can’t be ignored, and I think that’s unsettling to a lot of people.”

Freshman Rep. Dan Maffei (D-N.Y.), whose event at a Syracuse middle school was disrupted, said that he still planned to hold additional town halls but that he was also thinking about other options.

“I think you’ve got to communicate through a variety of different ways. You should do the telephone town hall meetings. You should do the town hall meetings. You should do the smaller group meetings,” said Maffei. “It’s important to do things in a variety of ways, so you don’t have one mode of communication.”

“You’re going to have people of varying views, and in this case, you’ve got the two extremes who were the most vocal,” Maffei said of the flare-up at his July 12 event.

On Tuesday, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who handles incumbent retention duties for House Democrats in addition to chairing the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, met with freshman members to discuss their plans for the monthlong August recess. While the specific issue of town hall protesters never came up, according to sources familiar with the meeting, he urged them not to back away from opponents.

“He said, ‘Go on offense. Stay on the offense. It’s really important that your constituents hear directly from you. You shouldn’t let a day go by [that] your constituents don’t hear from you,’” said one House Democratic leadership aide familiar with the meeting.

Some members profess to enjoy the give-and-take of the town halls, even if lately it’s become more take than give.

“Town halls are a favorite part of my job,” said Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.), a third-term congressman from St. Louis who noted that a “handful” of disruptions had taken place at his meetings. “It’s what I do. It’s what I will continue to do.”

“People have gotten fired up and all that, but I think that’s what makes town halls fun,” said Perriello, a freshman who is among the most vulnerable Democrats in 2010. “I think that most of the time when we get out there, it’s a good chance for people to vent and offer their thoughts. It’s been good.”

“I enjoy it, and people have a chance to speak their mind,” he said.

Both Carnahan and Perriello said they were plunging forward with plans to hold more town hall meetings.

Republicans, with an eye toward 2010, are keeping close track of the climate at Democratic events.

“We’ve seen Russ Carnahan, we’ve seen Tim Bishop, we’ve seen some other people face some very different crowds back home,” said National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas). “The days of you having a town hall meeting where maybe 15 or 20 of your friends show up — they’re over. You’ve now got real people who are showing up — and that’s going to be a factor.”

Asked later how or whether the GOP would use the confrontations against Democrats, Sessions responded: “Wait till next year.”

But Democrats are quick to point out they’re not the only ones facing hostile audiences. They single out Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.), who found himself in a confrontation earlier this month with a “birther” protester, and insist that Republicans face a backlash of their own if it appears the party is too closely aligned with tea party activists or other conservative-oriented protesters.

“It’s a risk that they align themselves with such a small minority in the party,” said Brian Smoot, who served as political director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in the past election cycle. “They risk alienating moderates.”

By now I’m sure you’ve been to, or at least read about, all the anti-Obama Care rallies that have taken shape all around Colorado. Reports indicate that both Denver and Fort Collins had good turnouts with around 400 to 600 people. Colorado Springs however, is reporting attendance between 1,000 and 1,200. Pretty great turnouts considering they’ve been on workdays and we all have jobs.

Make no mistake, House Resolution 3200 – aka Obama Care – aka politically controlled health care, is coming down the pike. Right now the bill sits at over 1,000 pages, and according to the National Taxpayers Union, despite the left’s rhetoric, the language indicates a ton more coercion than any “choice” whatsoever. (Are you even surprised that the words “require” and “must” outnumber the words “choice” and “option” 9 to 1)? This bill is so ridiculous, even Jimmy Fallon made fun of its size and price tag on his TV show.

The bottom line is this: the reason we are even in this health care dilemma is because our current health care system is entirely too regulated and politicized. As of 2007, Colorado already had 46 mandates codified in our state statutes. Do we really need over 1,000 pages of more restrictions, mandates, and regulations?

If you don’t like the idea of Obama taking over our health care like he’s done with banks and our car industry, take a minute and contact your congressman. This page has the phone and fax numbers, in addition to links for electronic correspondence.

Don’t wait until it’s too late! Tell our representatives that you prefer REAL consumer choice and freedom, NOT the federal mandates currently on the table.

Some years ago there was a movement afoot that would force lawmakers to repeal a law any time that a new one was passed. The purpose being to keep incremental invasion of personal liberty from completely overwhelming the people of this nation. It went nowhere, and things such as what follow are the direct result.

In 2007, reported Idaho’s KIDK, Channel 3, Krister Evertson was “convicted of illegally transporting and storing hazardous waste. … Evertson failed to properly dispose of sodium metal, and the EPA was called in to clean up the mess.” In a press release trumpeting the case, the Environmental Protection Agency was more specific, saying, Evertson was found guilty of “violating the Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety Act and illegally storing and disposing of hazardous waste, violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.” But wait! Just last week, Evertson testified before a bipartisan congressional hearing on how federal law has crept into every nook and cranny of life and overcriminalized conduct. What’s going on here?

As it turns out, Evertson’s conviction was the federal government’s second try against him in an effort that has all the appearances of a vendetta based on over-vigorous application of a spiderweb of petty rules. It all began when the inventor and fuel cell entrepreneur was run off the road in Alaska on May 27, 2004, by armed federal agents. As he says in his testimony (PDF) to the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security:

The charge against me was that I hadn’t put the right label on the box when I shipped some raw sodium that I had sold on eBay. Stored improperly, sodium can be hazardous, so it usually has to be shipped by ground. I carefully packaged the sodium that I sold and even checked “ground transportation” on the bill when I went to ship the packages. But what I didn’t know was that, in Alaska, UPS actually ships its “ground” packages by air. And that was against the law.

Rather than charge me with a violation and collect a fine, the government decided to bring the full weight of the law down upon me. I refused to plead guilty, because I was not, and so the prosecution pushed for years in prison. It took two years, but finally the jury acquitted me of every charge.

That’s right, acquitted.

But Hell hath no fury like a government official frustrated — and the feds weren’t out of tricks. You see, while Evertson was detained and tried in Alaska, his chemical supplies were stored in a facility back home in Idaho. And since he was behind bars and unable to visit the storage facility, he could be charged with … abandoning hazardous waste? Really?

Despite his acquittal in Alaska, federal authorities filed new charges against Evertson in Idaho for allegedly illegally transporting his materials the half mile from his home to the storage facility and improperly disposing of “hazardous” waste, all based on strained readings of EPA regulations.

Evertson claimed he had stored the materials properly and they were perfectly secure.

“My expert witness said the stainless steel container could safely contain the intermediate process stream indefinitely, that means forever. The stainless steel was 3/8 of an inch thick. I bought it from the Long Beach, California, Naval Yard. It was completely enclosed…. I could have neutralized all of it for $200,” Evertson said. …

Never mind that Evertson had clearly saved the material for future use rather than abandoning it. Never mind that it would be potentially dangerous only if taken out of the storage materials Evertson had so carefully constructed.

And never mind, finally, that, in the words of Evertson’s appellate brief, none of the materials were “discharged into the air, land or sea,” and the government failed to produce any evidence “that the defendant intended this to happen.”

Indeed, the brief notes, “the EPA witness, Marc Callaghan, testified that the materials became hazardous waste [only] when the EPA disposed of them.”

Note that Evertson was researching fuel cells with an eye to developing cleaner energy. His violation of environmental law in the first case was technical and inadvertent, and in the second case could be charitably described as — oh Hell, forget charity — it was BS.

But the feds got their way the second time around. With a law that required no criminal intent on the part of Evertson, the violation of which was entirely because Evertson had been detained by the people now charging him with criminal activity, the man was convicted. Off to prison he went.

The reason we’re hearing about Krister Evertson is not because his case is atypical, but because he is lucky enough to have strong allies. His case has been taken by the Washington Legal Foundation, which is appealing his conviction. The effort of which the appeal is part is supported by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Federalist Society, the American Bar Association, the Cato Institute and the Constitution Project. Out of public view, many many other people have suffered arrest, trial and imprisonment based on a host of regulations both too numerous and too obscure to be knowable.

Testifying before the same subcommittee, Professor James Strazzella, President of the Temple University Beasley School of Law, said (PDF):

The amount of individual citizen conduct that is now potentially subject to federal
criminal control has increased in startling proportions in the last several decades, beyond any understandable interest in dealing with federal programs, truly interstate issues, or international crime. …

Strazzella knows of what he speaks. In 1998, he authored a report on the metastasizing mass of federal crimes for the American Bar Association. The Federalization of Criminal Law (PDF) found, in part:

So large is the present body of federal criminal law that there is no conveniently accessible, complete list of federal crimes. Criminal sanctions are dispersed in places other than the statutory codes (for example, rules of court) and therefore can not be located simply by reading statutes. A large number of sanctions are dispersed throughout the thousands of administrative “regulations” promulgated by various governmental agencies under Congressional statutory authorization. Nearly 10,000 regulations mention some sort of sanction, many clearly criminal in nature, while many others are designated “civil.”

The federal government’s excuses for arresting you and locking you behind bars have only increased since the publication of that report.

So the next time you see a brief news blurb about some “evil” offender who ran afoul of the law with seeming disregard for public safety, and who is publicly vilified in government press releases, keep in mind that there may be more to the story. You could well be looking at another Krister Evertson, who hurt nobody, intended no legal violation, and was tripped up by a maze of laws of the sort that you yourself may unknowingly violate every day.

Subject: ** A Cowboys Guide To Living **
Music:
"Don't Fence Me In"
***** A Cowboy's
Guide to Life *****
***
Life's tough......It's even tougher if you're stupid. --- John Wayne
*** Don't interfere with something
that ain't botherin' you none.
***
The easiest way to eat crow is while it's still warm. The colder it gets, the
harder it is to swaller.
***
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
*** If it don't seem like it's worth
the effort, it probably ain't.
***
The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with watches you
shave his face in the mirror every morning.
***
Never ask a barber if you need a haircut.
***
Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a distance.
***
Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight, and bull-strong.
*** Life is simpler when you plow
around the stump.
*** A bumble bee is considerably
faster than a John Deere tractor.
***
Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
*** Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.
***
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
*** It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
*** You cannot unsay a cruel word.
*** Every path has a few puddles.
*** When you wallow with pigs, expect
to get dirty.
*** The best sermons are lived, not
preached.
*** Most of the stuff people worry
about ain't never gonna happen, anyway.
***
Don't judge folks by their relatives.
***
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
***
Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll
enjoy it a second time.
***
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
*** Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
*** If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try
orderin' somebody else's dog around.
***
Don't worry about bitin' off more'n you can chew; your mouth is probably a whole
lot bigger'n you think.
***
Generally, you ain't learnin' nothing when your mouth's a-jawin'.
*** If you're ridin' ahead of the
herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there with ya.
*** Good judgement comes from
experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgement.
*** Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it
back.
*** The quickest way to double your
money is to fold it over and put it back into your pocket.
***
Don't squat with your spurs on.
***
Always drink upstream from the herd.
***
There's two theories to arguin' with a woman. Neither one works.
*** There's three kinds of men: the
one that learns by reading.
The few who learn by observation
and the rest of them have to tinkle on
the electric fence for themselves.
***
Never kick a cowchip on a hot day.
***
Never slap a man who's chewin' tobacco.
***
When you give a lesson in meanness to a critter or a person, don't be surprised
if they learn their lesson.
***
When you're throwin' your weight around, be ready to have it thrown around by
somebody else.
*** After eating an entire bull, a
mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. -
A hunter came along and shot him. The
moral:
When you're full of bull, keep your
mouth shut.
Live simply
....
Love generously
....
Care deeply
....
Speak kindly.
Leave the rest to God.

SILVERTHORNE, Colo.–The Colorado Division of Wildlife Women Afield program is sponsoring a Cast & Blast Clinic for women on Saturday, August 8 in Silverthorne.

Cast & Blast clinics are designed for women who want to learn to fly fish and to shoot a shotgun. The clinic runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m and is for women only.

Participants spend the day with other women while learning and practicing shooting and fishing techniques. No prior experience or equipment required. Participants are asked to participate for the entire clinic.

The cost is $15.00 and pre-registration is required. For more information or to sign up, contact Kris Holinka at the DOW office in Hot Sulphur Springs at (970) 725-6200.

Things are progressing! This is the latest Second Amendment March Newsletter.

The Second Amendment March is proud to announce we are partnering with Front Sight Firearms Training Institute, www.frontsight.com, a world-renowned personal defense school located near Las Vegas, Nevada. Dr. Ignatius Piazza, Four Weapons Combat Master and Founder and Director of Front Sight, has graciously offered to support the Second Amendment March by backing up his words with his money.

Dr. Piazza is a patriot and believes so strongly in the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and the Second Amendment March that he is offering a FREE Two-Day Defensive Handgun course to any person who supports or attends the Second Amendment March in Washington DC or any of the 50 State Capitol Marches. Upon attending the DC March or any of the 50 State Capitol Marches you will receive a certificate redeemable for a Front Sight Two Day Defensive Handgun Course with no expiration date! That’s right! You heard me correctly. We’re talking about a $1,000 Two-Day Defensive Handgun Course at world-class Front Sight Firearms Training Institute FREE OF CHARGE simply for supporting the Second Amendment March! How can any patriotic American justify not supporting the Second Amendment March with an offer like that?

But wait! Dr. Piazza isn’t done! If you can’t make it to the DC March or any of the 50 State Capitol Marches to take advantage of this great offer, then read further… Dr. Piazza will extend this offer to any person who donates $100 or more to the Second Amendment March in the next 30 days! That’s how serious he is about the Right to Keep and Bear Arms! Please don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Go now to www.frontsight.com to learn all about the classes Front Sight offers. This is a $1,000 class simply for doing the right thing in supporting the Second Amendment March!

Note: When you make a $100 or more donation to Second Amendment March, the certificate will come directly from Front Sight Firearms Training Institute. It generally arrives within 2-3 weeks of making your donation.

A Woman’s Journey Into Guns

by Marge Shoemaker

A few days ago, I was asked to tell my story about how I became interested in guns. To be honest, it wasn’t something I was born into, and it wasn’t something I practiced in my youth. It really was something that came upon me in the last few years.
I am the oldest of four children. As a young girl I was quiet and very shy, pretty much afraid of my own shadow. I especially didn’t like loud noises like balloons popping, fire crackers going off, you get the picture.

I was an avid animal lover. Every lost pet or stray found their way to my home. With some effort, I usually found their owners. In my junior high years, I became involved with saving the wild mustangs, wolves, you name it! I didn’t think too much of people hunting or shooting animals. Then in my high school years, I fell in love. Shortly after graduation, I married my best friend. Did I mention, he had a passion for hunting? Hunting!
Well, through the years, and two sons later (who also love hunting) I learned about harvesting wildlife. I learned to cook, or can, whatever my two boys and my husband brought home. I became quite good at it, but never, ever, did it interest me to shoot a gun. They go bang!

By now I was almost 50 years old. One day my husband was sighting in his new 17 caliber rifle when I walked outside and said I wanted to start shooting. I had only one condition: no guns with a loud bang or kick. He smiled a smile that made my heart skip a beat. Then he said, have a seat. He showed me how to hold the gun tight to my shoulder, how to look down the scope, take the safety off, and just squeeze the trigger. Hey, no loud bang or kick! I actually enjoyed it. I’ve been practicing for two years now.
Recently, I had a van load of suspicious-looking men come to my house which sits in the country way back off the road. I felt threatened and asked them to leave. One man grew angry and they wouldn’t leave my door step. I picked up my shotgun and stood in front of the doorway.

Marge works for a local school district in Michigan. She is a mom and grandmother and has been married for 33 years. She is a fan of country music and Jeff Gordon! Marge lives by these words: “If you are a friend of mine, you are considered family. There is no greater love than she who would lay down her life for a friend. And I would. I love my God, and my country.”

Interviews and Speaking Engagements

Skip Coryell, Second Amendment March Founder, will be speaking about the March on the following dates:

There are a multitude of American college students interested in
making a difference for America. Please help us tap a
sometimes-overlooked reservoir of energy and enthusiasm by letting them know about SAM!

For any college students interested in promoting the Second Amendment March on your campus, please contact Drew Rankin (a Vanderbilt student) at mdrewrankin@gmail.com.

Around the ‘Net

Here is a great video from Rev. Kenn Blanchard, host of The Urban Shooter Podcast and owner of blackmanwithagun.com.

Ed is a Veteran of the Vietnam era and has over 25 + years as a credentialed Field Paramedic. He has been an NRA member since he was old enough to join, and is also a member of USCCA, GOA, and Numbers USA. Ed’s interests include diving, piloting, amateur inventing, hunting, reloading, and target shooting.

Steve is a retired Army Major and an NRA Training Counselor in Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun, Personal Protection and Home Firearm Safety, an Arkansas Concealed Carry Instructor, a 4-H committee member and Shotgun Instructor.

Chris has been an NRA member for 12 years and a concealed carry permit holder for about the same. He enjoys hunting, hiking, fishing, shooting and of course, he loves the Second Amendment. Chris says he is “ready for the challenge” and looks forward to working with all of you.

Brian has a BA in sociology and is currently working on his masters degree in social work. He is committed to social justice through the preservation of the Constitution. Brian also runs a Second Amendment committee in New York’s capitol region.

Second Amendment March is now on Twitter! Twitter is a free service that allows people to stay connected via short messages, called “tweets”. Second Amendment March is utilizing this tool to provide updates and news to our supporters.

When you purchase items from the store, you can be assured that 100% of the money earned by Second Amendment March goes directly to supporting our second amendment rights. The organizers of Second Amendment March are not taking any personal income from these sales — it’s strictly a fundraising effort.

How You Can Help

There are many things you can do TODAY to make a difference for future generations:

Anyone that regularly reads this blog is more then aware that I am no shill for the Republicans. However, until the Conservative Party of America actually gets up and running most politicians that I do support will most probably be Republicans. Colorado State Senator is one of those that I will support. What follows is his latest newsletter.

CONTINUING THE FIGHT…

It is with great excitement and urgency that I announce my candidacy for re-election to the Colorado State Senate.

As you know our country is in the midst of a major economic, political and moral crisis and I can not see myself sitting on the sidelines during this critical time in our nation’s history!

There is a revolution occurring…a revolution by the radical left to consolidate power and socialize major aspects of the private sector. Whether it is the auto industry, the financial industry, the health care or the energy industry, the Democrats are attempting to control the means of production in the most important areas of our economy. They have already taken over major companies like GM and are attempting to control entire industries through draconian regulation like Cap and Trade or single payer health care. They are power drunk with their majority status and are emboldened to push through their radical agenda.

World history has proven that socialism diminishes the value of each individual life for the sake of the whole; it robs the individual of the rewards of their labor, while enslaving them into a life of dependency on a Godless master called government. Knowing this, why would any rational person intentionally try to take our nation down this “road to serfdom?”

Indeed, this is the moral conflict of our time, and it demands that every conservative rise up and answer the call to action!

Even here in Colorado, the Governor and the Democrat majority tried to take $500 million in private sector premiums from Pinnacol, one of the state’s largest workers compensation assurance companies.

Thankfully, we have a seasoned group of conservative legislators that led the fight against many of the Democrat’s most radical schemes here in Colorado. Whether it was against their efforts to take over Pinnacol Assurance Company, or their push to give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, or their attempts to abolish Colorado’s Electoral College vote-our Republican legislature stood united to stop their efforts.

There is a light beginning to shine on the horizon…The brazen actions of the liberals have brought about a grassroots movement of common sense Americans across our great country. Ordinary citizens are becoming actively involved in the political process for the first time in their lives! Whether it is through the TEA parties, the 9/12 groups, the Ron Paul activists or the anti-illegal immigration movement, Americans of all walks of life are starting to plug in. Many who have taken for granted our precious freedoms are now beginning to realize what is at risk and how much we are about to lose.

We must unite these diverse groups to organize a political movement that will focus on taking back our state and our nation-a nation founded on the principles of free people and free markets-not copouts, handouts and bailouts.

Whatever happened to individual responsibility-when a bad investment meant you lost money…not where you looked to the taxpayers to bail you out? I don’t know of any hard working, average American expecting or receiving a bailout from their fellow neighbors. Why should we treat Wall Street any differently?

It is time we say enough is enough!

I am committed to taking the conservative fight to the State Senate once again, but I need the help of grassroots activists like you.

Over the last eight years I have helped lead the conservative movement here in Colorado. I have fought hard to bring traditional, common sense values to the Colorado legislature.

During my tenure I have had the great privilege to sponsor and co-sponsor some of the State’s most important pieces of conservative legislation.

IMMIGRATION REFORM-I have led the fight on immigration reform since the first day I walked through the capitol doors. In 2002, I was able to sponsor and see passed the law which denies drivers’ licenses to illegal aliens. I also sponsored and passed the law eliminating sanctuary cities throughout our state. I have led the fight to prohibit illegal immigrants from receiving taxpayer subsidized in-state tuition. My efforts earned me the “Legislator of the Year Award” in 2006 and 2008 from “CASA” the ColoradoAlliance for a Secure America.

PRO-LIFE-I was designated Legislator of the Year in 2003 by Colorado Right to Life with the passage of my bill requiring parental notification for minors seeking abortion–the first and only pro-life bill ever to pass in Colorado. I also had the opportunity to introduce abortion survivor Gianna Jessen to the Colorado State House. Until my last breath, I will always champion life from conception to natural death.

TAX LIMITATION-Over the years I’ve helped lead the fight to protect TABOR and stop new taxation during the greatest revenue shortfall in our state’s history. In 2004, I was awarded “Taxpayer Guardian” by the ColoradoUnion of Taxpayers. I have never supported a tax increase in my tenure in the legislature.

SECOND AMENDMENT-Twice I have been named “Legislator of the Year” by RockyMountain Gun Owners. I also have an “A” rating with the NRA and the Colorado State Shooting Association. And just this past year I was the Senate sponsor of the “Make My Day Better” bill.

EDUCATION REFORM-This year I sponsored the Public School Transparency Act which required all public schools to post their books online so that any interested taxpayer could review the district’s books and determine where their tax money was being spent.

These are only a few highlights of my eight years in the State Legislature, but now is the time to look forward to the next four years and what we can accomplish together. I assure you I will continue to fight for lower taxes, to protect the unborn, to preserve family values, to defend our Constitution and our borders, and to create new jobs throughout all of Colorado.

We cannot allow the forces of the left to prevail in Colorado any longer. We must win back both the State House and Senate, and we must take back the Governor’s office. The stakes are too high to lose. I need your help!

Through re-election:

· I can continue to help lead our conservative fight down at the State Capitol.
· I can help elect other conservatives around the state to all levels of government.

· I can help unite a conservative movement that has been silent for far too long.
· Together we can return economic prosperity and sanity to our great state.

As you know I ran for Congress last year and subsequently I was unable to raise any funds for my Senate re-election campaign. I actually have less than $500 in my Senate account. Therefore, I am reaching out to friends and supporters like you to help raise the resources necessary to mount a bold and unapologetic conservative campaign.

Current state law limits contributions to no more than $400 per individual. With these limitations and the tough economic times, it is going to take quite a number of small individual contributions to reach our goal of $50,000. Please consider contributing today. No matter how much you are able to give, every bit is essential, and gratefully received by our campaign.